WildLife Group of the SAVA
zonal separation of FMDV-infected buffalo and our commercial livestock industry , using the imaginary “ red line ” and vaccination strategies in the buffer zone .
In South Africa , cattle are dead-end hosts for CD .. or at least they should be , otherwise it would be called East Coast Fever , which is supposed to not be here ( but that ’ s a story for another day ). CD is ultimately not going to cause a nationwide pandemic , but there ’ s enough concern that infected buffalo are relegated to the Kruger National Park ( KNP ) and northern KwaZulu- Natal ( nKZN ).
Elements in the current bVPN however need revision , such as the manner in which tests are interpreted , and the immoderate actions for blood results that are more likely to be false positives than reflective of true disease ( hopefully in future articles we ’ ll expand on the complexities of disease testing such as sensitivity vs . specificity , screening vs . diagnostic , direct vs . indirect etc ).
Of course , pathogens don ’ t distinguish between wildlife and domestic hosts- only the disease outcome varies ( i . e . illness , carrier status and the ability to transfer disease ), dependent on the host ’ s innate susceptibility . As if there was at some level some interspecies competition , buffalo are clinically susceptible to two traditional cattle diseases , brucellosis ( CA ) and bovine tuberculosis ( bTB ).
With the emerging threat of bTB in the KNP buffalo and a necessity to reintroduce these bulk grazers to FMD-free national parks and private properties across the country ( historically extinct due to the Rinderpest of 1896 and over-hunting ), there was an initiative in the late 1990s to ensure that this Big 5 species could be translocated without spreading disease . With much credit owed to Dr Roy Bengis , so commenced the buffalo projects where calves free of FMDV , CD , CA and bTB were bred from infected dams sourced from our national parks behind the red-line or from nKZN .
Free-ranging “ disease-free ” buffalo are thus a unique phenomenon to South Africa , and their value has escalated far beyond meat-price driven by the demand for hunting and breeding .
With closure of the projects , the Department of Agriculture , Forestry and Fisheries ( DAFF ) needed a new document to guide the state veterinarians sanctioning the tremendous amount of live translocations taking place ; hence the buffalo veterinary procedural notice ( bVPN ) of 2017 .
Introduction of new individuals into closed herds is the greatest disease risk factor for SPF herds- biosecurity is vital .
There is no one more concerned about animal health than a buffalo owner . Confirmation of a controlled disease in even one animal within a specified pathogen free ( SPF ) herd has significant financial implications ( the state does not compensate for culled wildlife ), and the logistics , testing and time required to lift a quarantine can be implacable . Furthermore , with respect to the “ exotic ” diseases such as CA and bTB , the SPF herd is completely vulnerable to the health status of domestic livestock grazing on the borders of a buffalo property .
Concern was thus expressed by buffalo owners and veterinarians as why no such animal health restrictions are placed on the domestic livestock industry- there are approximately 100 times more cattle than SPF buffalo and disease prevalence is widespread ( especially CA ), yet livestock can be moved without testing , vaccination and involvement of state veterinarians .
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